In 1927, Keystone South Dakota, like the rest of the USA, was in the midst of The Great Depression. When work was offered to construct a monument on Rushmore Mountain, there weren’t any second thoughts. During the next 14 years, between 1927 and 1941, some of the 400 workers reported wondering at times what on earth they were doing and whether the vision of Danish sculptor Gutzon Borglum would become a reality. They arrived each morning to work never knowing what to expect. Regardless of the weather, bitter cold, snow, wind, blistering heat, they would climb 700 stairs to the top of the mountain to punch-in on the time clock. From there 3/8 inch thick steel cables lowered them over the front of the 500 foot face of the mountain in a ‘bosun chair’ to construct what has become one of the most amazing sculptors I have ever seen.

The Meaning of Mount Rushmore

The four American Presidents carved into the granite of Mount Rushmore were chosen by the sculptor to commemorate the founding, growth, preservation and development of the United States. They symbolise the principles of freedom and liberty on which the nation was founded. George Washington signifies the struggle for independence and the birth of the Replubic; Thomas Jefferson the territorial expansion of the country; Abraham Lincoln the permanent union of the states, and equality for all citizens, and Theodore Roosevelt, the 20th Century role of the United States in world affairs and the rights of the common man.

When you look upon the completed sculpture, it’s mind blowing.